“Do you think that’s going somewhere serious?” he asked.
“I honestly couldn’t tell you.” I shook my head.
“Well, she seems great.” Taylor smacked my arm.
Leahwasgreat. And I’d thought maybe I could learn to be happy again. Yet the only time I wassureI’d been happy was with his best friend, Blair. It was so fucked up.
“I appreciate your approval,” I told him.
“I know you and Mom have your issues,” he said. “But I’m proud of you both for getting along this weekend. It can’t be easy being around each other, but it’s meant a lot to me.”
“Your mother deserves my respect. She did a damn good job raising you to be the man you’ve become. And I’m happy she and I are cordial now.”
“Yeah…” He smiled. “Me too.”
“When do you leave for your honeymoon?”
“In a week. We’re so psyched. We need a vacation badly. Work’s been crazy for Juliana and for me.”
“Aruba, right?”
He nodded.
“I hope the trip is everything you want it to be.”
“Well, I’ll let you know.” He smacked my arm again as he walked away. “Make sure you come say goodbye before you leave.”
“Of course.”
I watched him continue down the hall. I wondered whether Blair had left her spot outside the door or whether he’d find her still standing there. I hated that she would have to look him in the eye and lie again about why she’d been acting strangely.
As I returned to the brunch, I prepared to face Leah. What was supposed to be a quick bathroom trip had turned into a twenty-minute disappearance.
“Sorry I took so long,” I said.
“Were you in the bathroom all that time?” she asked.
“Actually, I ran into Taylor, and we had a quick chat.”
Her mouth curved into a smile. “Oh, okay. I’m happy you and he are getting along.”
“Yeah, so am I.”
“What do you wanna do for the rest of the afternoon?” she asked.
I scratched my chin. “Actually, I have a ton of errands. Just some stuff I’ve been putting off around my new place. Need to go to Home Depot for some supplies. I’ve got a busy work week, so I won’t have much time to deal with that stuff other than today.”
She looked at me a moment. “Well, I was hoping we could have some alone time, but if you think that would interrupt your plans…” There was a hint of spite in her voice.
I nodded, but didn’t take the bait. I couldn’t give her what she needed today. I wanted to be alone to decompress. Every muscle in my body was tight, wrought with stress. “We can catch up tomorrow,” I suggested.
She looked away, and I knew I’d messed things up. Not sure I’d be able to come back from what I’d pulled this weekend. But until I could get past all this, I couldn’t be the person Leah needed me to be anyway. All I could think about now was Blair.
Chapter 22
TATE
Two weeks after the wedding, I still hadn’t heard from Blair, and my relationship with Leah was practically nonexistent. I’d made up one excuse after another to avoid seeing her.
